Aunt Wu is 56 years old, and she has dedicated her life to the school full of laughter, where she was a respected teacher until her retirement.
Once, during a busy working day, she could only steal half a day of leisure, taking a short lunch break to take a nap, usually only half an hour, before devoting herself to teaching in the afternoon.
However, after retirement, Aunt Wu ushered in the long-awaited free time. No longer constrained by rigid commute times, her nap time has become extravagant. As soon as I lay down, I was immersed in a peaceful afternoon dream.
But as time passed, she gradually sensed that something was wrong - whenever she woke up, her mind no longer seemed to be as clear as it used to be, but an inexplicable sense of confusion lingered.
This feeling made Aunt Wu can't help but start to reflect on whether those claims about the health benefits of napping really apply to everyone? Or is there also a particular way and length of napping? (Editor: Liu Yan)
01
This situation of Aunt Wu is not unique, many people choose to take a nap after retirement or after work, but they may ignore the moderation and duration of napping.
Studies from Harvard Medical School and the University of California, San Francisco, offer some caveats about this phenomenon.
Their study, published in the Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, noted that prolonged naps may be associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. The study followed 1,065 older adults with an average age of 81 years for up to 14 years.
It was found that older adults who took a nap at least once a day or more than 1 hour a day had a 40% higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than those who took less than 1 hour a day. This suggests that excessive napping may be associated with a deterioration in brain function, which increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
In addition to Alzheimer's, prolonged naps are associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. In a meta-analysis of more than 313,000 participants published at the European Cardiovascular Annual Meeting, it was found that those who took naps for more than 60 minutes had a 30% increased risk of all-cause mortality compared with those who did not nap.
This means that too long naps may be directly related to life and health, reminding us to pay attention to the relationship between naps and longevity.
In addition to affecting the nervous system and longevity, napping longer than 1 hour may also increase the risk of obesity and diabetes.
Research from the Institute of Chronic Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine shows that people who take a nap for more than 1 hour have the highest incidence of diabetes, fatty liver and central obesity. This reveals the close link between napping and metabolic health, suggesting that you should carefully control your time during napping.
From a cardiovascular perspective, napping too long may also increase the risk of atrial fibrillation.
A study conducted by the University of Huelva in Spain found that taking too long naps was associated with a 90% increased risk of atrial fibrillation compared to participants with shorter naps. This gives us important information about napping and heart health.
In order to maintain good health, it is especially important to control the nap time. A 2023 study in the journal Obesity pointed out that napping more than 30 minutes was associated with a 41% increased risk of high BMI and metabolic syndrome, especially with waist circumference, fasting blood sugar and blood pressure.
Therefore, it is generally believed that it is best to keep nap time between 15~30 minutes for the best health benefits. This short nap can provide a short break in the middle of the day, helping to maintain energy and focus in the afternoon, while avoiding the health risks that can come with taking too long a nap.
02
Academician Zhong Nanshan once pointed out in a CCTV interview that napping is an important supplement to the body, especially for improving energy, improving mood, and relieving stress.
A midday nap can effectively improve mood, reduce physical tension, and even better than 8 hours of sleep at night. Studies have shown that the level of relaxation in the body increases significantly during the waking period after naptime, which helps regulate mood, reduce stress, and improve quality of life.
A study published in the British Medical Journal found that regular napping can help prevent Alzheimer's disease and improve cognitive ability and mental agility. This suggests that napping is not only good for the body, but also helps keep the brain healthy and active.
Research from Harvard University has also shown that napping during the day can promote the improvement of sleep-dependent memory, helping to convert short-term memory into long-term memory. This means that proper napping can improve learning and productivity, enhance memory and concentration.
Although there is no conclusive evidence that napping can directly improve immunity, many people feel that the fatigue of the body disappears after taking a nap, which may be related to the body getting enough rest and recovery.
This is especially true for patients who are convalescent, as napping can help them regain their strength and speed up the recovery process.
03
Although napping has many benefits, in practice, we should also follow some precautions, especially in the middle-aged and elderly people, it is important to pay attention to the following three "don'ts":
Don't go to bed when you're full: It's often hard to feel sleepy after eating, but it's not a good habit to take a nap immediately after eating. Doctors warn that after eating, a large amount of blood flows to the stomach for digestion, resulting in a decrease in oxygen supply to the brain.
Falling asleep immediately at this time may cause insufficient blood supply to the brain, which is not conducive to the digestion of food. It is recommended to do appropriate activities after lunch, such as walking for 10 minutes, and then take a nap.
Don't sleep on your stomach: Sleeping on your stomach can cause your neck to tilt forward, which is the opposite of the physiological curvature of the cervical spine, which can easily lead to deformation of the cervical spine and muscle fatigue for a long time.
The chief physician of the Department of Respiratory Medicine of Peking Union Medical College Hospital reminded that sleeping on the stomach will also affect the respiratory system, blood circulation system, and nerve conduction system. After waking up, you may feel dizzy, numb and tired.
Don't sleep too long: Experts point out that people's sleep can be divided into two stages: light sleep and deep sleep, and a complete cycle takes 1~1.5 hours.
After taking a nap for more than 30 minutes, you will enter the stage of deep sleep, and too long a deep sleep may cause you to feel unwell when you wake up, and you will have symptoms such as headache and general weakness. Therefore, it is best to keep the nap time to less than 30 minutes to avoid the counterproductive effects of excessive deep sleep.
In addition, it is important to note that napping is not suitable for everyone, especially the following groups:
People with high blood viscosity: People with high blood viscosity may have more viscous blood at rest due to napping, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, this group of people should not take a nap to avoid aggravating their own discomfort symptoms.
People who are on the 20% weight: People who are overweight may have an increased risk of obesity and diabetes. Excessive napping time may be related to metabolic health problems, and it is recommended that this group of people choose nap time carefully.
People with low blood pressure: Napping in patients with low blood pressure may lead to low blood pressure, dizziness, fatigue and other symptoms, and even cause heart and brain accidents. Therefore, it is best for patients with low blood pressure to avoid napping to protect their health.
In traditional Chinese health concept, napping has always been regarded as one of the important ways to maintain good health. However, while enjoying the benefits of napping, we should also be wary of the potential health risks that napping can bring.
By understanding scientific research and expert opinions, we can make a clear nap plan to protect our physical and mental health.